1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer extracting apparatus for extracting developer from mixture a of developer and foreign matters, and an image forming apparatus using such a developer extracting apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a developer extracting apparatus used with an image forming apparatus of electrophotographic type such as a copying machine, a printer and the like, and an image forming apparatus using it.
2. Related Background Art
In order to effectively utilize resources and to protect environmental conditions, there have been proposed various separating apparatuses for separating residual matter removed from an image bearing member into developer and other foreign matters and various apparatuses wherein the separated developer is reused. Among developer extracting apparatuses for extracting the developer from the residual matter removed from the image bearing member, various apparatuses using a mesh-shaped filter have been proposed. In such apparatuses, the developer is extracted by separating the developer which can pass through the mesh and the other foreign matters which cannot pass through the mesh. Further, in order to improve the separating ability and to prevent clogging of the mesh, there has been proposed an apparatus for vibrating a mesh-shaped filter (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-165180). By using this apparatus, when the mesh is directly vibrated, since the vibration is effectively transmitted to the mesh, it is possible to prevent the mesh from being clogged by paper powder or the like and to improve the separating ability for separating the developer from the other foreign matters.
However, since the mesh is normally formed by weaving thin wires made of metal or resin material in a net shape, although the mesh is effectively vibrated when the vibration is applied to the mesh in the initial condition, the openings of the mesh are gradually widened due to the fact that the mesh is repeatedly beaten directly as the mesh is continuously used, with the result that the vibration transmitting efficiency deteriorates considerably, thereby reducing the separating ability.